City cuts nonprofit support in half

Finally…. Weatherford elects a man who votes with tax payers in mind! Our thanks to Councilman Kevin Cleveland, who understands the proper use of taxes, made a motion to cut funding for nonprofit organizations.

Does it make sense to anyone, that some on Weatherford’s city council would be talking about raising taxes, and giving tax dollars away to unofficial nonprofit organizations at the same time?

Without naming names, it is easy to pick out one of these geniuses by reading the Weatherford Democrat article below.

Thank you Councilman Kevin Cleveland for standing on conservative principles!

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City cuts nonprofit support in half

The Weatherford City Council Tuesday night voted to cut in half its support of local charities.

The six nonprofits that made requests (totaling $88,500) will get approximately $38,000 from city funds next year, less than half of what was disbursed by the city this current fiscal year.

The organizations affected include CASA, Freedom House, Manna Storehouse, Crossroads Ministry, Center of Hope and Parker County Committee on Aging.

With Mayor Craig Swancy absent and Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Robinson abstaining from the vote due to his wife’s position as the CEO of Center of Hope, the remaining three council members pushed three different positions.

Council member Dale Fleeger, who initially recommended funding the full amount of the request from the nonprofits, moved to continue to fund the organizations at roughly the current level for a total of nearly $76,000.

Council member Kevin Cleveland moved to cut funding altogether.

Heidi Wilder initially found no support to provide funds totaling around $38,000. However, Cleveland, finding no support for his own position, voted with Wilder after she made the same motion a second time.

Fleeger voted against the motion.

The move comes after Parker County Republican Party Chair Zan Prince emailed county and city officials in May calling for local government officials to end donations to local nonprofits.

“I know that all of these agencies are challenged,” Fleeger said. “I know that one of the agencies will very likely go out of existence if they don’t receive funding from us as a part of their funding package next year.”

“They all provide a fundamental level of service that the city doesn’t provide and we’re not required to provide but it is a part of what our community is all about in terms of supporting people’s needs,” Fleeger said.

“I respect and appreciate every single one of these organizations,” Kevin Cleveland said. “They have a great service to our community. I do not argue that in the least.”

“I find this at a time when we are having discussions over tight budgets, raising taxes, and things of that nature,” Cleveland said. “I find it very hard to look at our staff and employees and say, ‘Hey, we’re not sure if we can give you a raise, we’re not sure if we can maintain your cost of living raises, things of that nature.’

“We’re raising taxes on our citizens to meet shortfalls in budgets and expectations as a city. And in the same breath say, ‘Hey, we would like you guys to go ahead and give us a little more money so that we can decide for you what charities you would like to contribute to.’ I just have a hard time believing that that is our role.”

Wilder also said that she admires every charity but noted that the city is stretched financially.

“The only thing with that [cutting funding entirely], Kevin, is that some funding they will get no funding from other sources, other government agencies if their city is unwilling to fund,” Wilder said.

Most of the nonprofits receive federal funding of some kind, Wilder said, noting that Freedom House, for example, would lose a lot of funding if the city does not fund the organization at all.

Cleveland said he was approached by people who said they didn’t know the city gives money to charities and would be bringing their charity to the city next year.

“We know that there are people in this community that will give money but we also know that every one of these agencies need more money and I feel like it’s part of our responsibility as a community to support the community,” Fleeger said. “We do it with our parks, we do it with our fire department, we do it with our police and we ask the citizens to pay for those services. These services they are offering, if we had to offer them as a city, we wouldn’t be able to afford them. So I think we are getting off lightly in terms of even if we fully fund what’s here in terms of helping our community.”

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2 responses

I generally agree with this Blogger, but not this time. I would suggest that all of you go look at what each of these “Official” Non-Profits do within your community and then (and only then) decide if you are getting the bang for your bucks that you should expect from Non-Profits that might expect some small subsidy from the communities they serve in. THE Republican chair completely misses the point as usual. I am a Republican and I do not support the Republican Chair position at all. I volunteer for one of these non-profits and their motivation has nothing to do with politics period. They are an all volunteer organization that were created to produce an outlet, for those who temporarily fall on bad times because of natural disasters, man made effects, poor training, job dropoffs, accidents and or crime etc. This particular organization uses every means available including grants, Restore activities, collection of unwanted clothing, furniture, etc., to fund such things as limited groceries, limited utility payments, replacing furniture and appliances for disasters., etc. The very act of this over 50% cut to funding has a trickle down effect on State and Federal Grants. Now I know there is a mind set out there that times are tough. I can guarantee, the effect of unfunding worthwhile non-profits that are truly providing a great service to the community, you live in, is not; I repeat not going to go unnoticed. Many of the people you will be turning your back on will become unintended weights on your government through other negative fallbacks such as crime, medical costs, and insolvency will increase dramatically. Here I am only speaking of one of the six Non-Profits; the other five likewise provide incredible volunteer services in their community in areas of: Child Advocacy, Safe Spaces for abuse victims, Family Advocacy, Court Appointed and trained sponsors of Children and the list goes on. 3 out of 5 council members spoke concerning this issue, one was gone on vacation the other was related to one of the officers of a volunteer organization effected. Please ask your reps to revisit this worthwhile subject so that an objective discussion can take place, one sided conversations rarely produce a positive effect.

” I would suggest that all of you go look at what each of these “Official” Non-Profits do within your community….”

“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction,
check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.”
Ayn Rand

Funding for these, and myriad of other programs, is not a proper function of government, at any level. Funding should be derived from voluntary donations , fund drives etc , NOT from the public treasury.

Charity is nnot “charity” when it is derived by compulsion from the taxpayers

“The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits”
Plutarch (Roman Philosopher and Statesman)

“The same prudence which in private life would forbid our paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public moneys.”
–Thomas Jefferson

“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want
merely because you think it would be good for him.”
– Robert Heinlein